Bhutan’s Red Rice

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small country located high in the magnificent Himalaya Mountains of Asia, between India and Tibet. David and I were lucky enough to be able to visit Bhutan last month, and to experience much of the local customs and traditions. We traveled with our good Boquete friends, Roger and Margaret Pentecost, who love to explore new places all over the world, and Bhutan is just such a “new” place.

We had heard much about this tiny isolated country over the past few years, because the borders were not opened to tourists until 1980, and very few visitors are admitted each year. The main reason visitors are so few and far between is due to the exorbitant “tourist tariff” imposed on every “outsider” who crossed its borders. By exorbitant, I mean $250.00 per day, per person! The purpose of such a tariff is to limit influences from the outside world on Bhutan’s rich cultural heritage, and to maintain a high level of “Gross National Happiness” which is most important to Bhutan’s people. They love the many festivals performed across the country, with dancers dancing for hours in colorful and elaborate costumes, as you can see above.

I believe one reason Bhutanese people are so happy is due to the simple, healthy cuisine that is so plentiful throughout the country. Their diet consists mostly of rice, potatoes, buckwheat pasta, and vegetables, with small amounts of chicken and cheese sometimes included. Our traveling companions, Margaret and Roger, are dishing up a typical dinner always served buffet or family-style in Bhutan. The second dish is red rice, next the curry with tiny bits of pork, and last, hot mixed vegetables with chopped ginger and garlic. Dessert was a small cookie or taste of ice cream.

During the week we visited Bhutan, the King Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun of Bhutan were married. There were festivals everywhere, and everyone was celebrating the royal wedding.

I’m sure the royal couple enjoyed red rice at their royal reception, it’s a daily dish in this very unusual country. I looked forward to having the red rice at almost every meal, it was my favorite Bhutanese dish, like comfort food to me.

BHUTANESE RED RICE

4 cups cooked long-grain rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
dash red pepper, or to taste

Put the rice on a baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours, until it is dry enough for you to gently crumble in your hands. Midway through, turn the rice to ensure even drying. When ready to prepare the red rice, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add only 2 tablespoons of the butter. Once the frothing subsides, add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic no longer smells raw and is turning brown. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the rice and turn it red. Increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until the rice is heated through.
Sprinkle in the salt and soy sauce, and stir to combine well. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and continue to gently fry the rice for another 1 to 2 minutes, to sear in the flavors. Remove from the heat, taste and add extra salt, if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

The Bhutanese people live high in the Himalaya mountains, which protect them and seclude them from the rest of the world. They are industrious, self-sufficient and beautiful people. We couldn’t help but notice the many smiles that were turned our way.

Bhutan’s ancient traditions are still harmoniously blended into a simple culture with a simple cuisine. The strong Buddhist philosophy of the Bhutanese people helps to make living simply easy. Since visiting Bhutan, I’m wondering how high our “Gross National Happiness” is here in Boquete, Panama. From observing the action in our local market this morning, I’d say it very, very high, as well.

Cheers to the Royal Couple!
Cora

Lauretta’s Madras Curry Powder

It was about 5pm in the afternoon when Lauretta fired up her skillet and began to dry-roast unfamiliar seeds and whole spices from around the world to make her special Madras Curry Powder from “scratch”. Indian cuisine is one of Chef Lauretta Bonfiglio’s favorite ethnic menus to prepare, and it takes lots of loving attention and care to blend the ingredients just to the right flavor she adores so much.

In order to achieve the perfect blend of curry powder, Lauretta gathered twelve very eager students together, along with David and me, for the “Exotic Flavors of India” Boquete Gourmet cooking class in my kitchen in El Santuario, Boquete.

Lauretta also gathered together 13 different spices of widely varying flavors, and she began to work. As you probably know, Curry Powder is a blend of many spices, it’s not just one spice. By the time Lauretta had completed the long, arduous task of measuring, roasting and grinding the Curry Powder to just the right flavor, students were busy “building” their own Madras Cocktails, and preparing classic Lentil Daal, Tomato Chutney, Kachumber Salad, Cucumber Raita, Pulao Rice, Chicken Curry, and Candied Ginger Ice Cream.

The highlight of the class, if you don’t consider the cocktails, was learning to make your own customized curry powder. As we discovered, the exact measurements of each ingredient can be varied according to your taste. This is how Lauretta combined her spices to make her favorite blend.

MADRAS CURRY POWDER

8 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
6 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seed
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds or ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon cayenne (or less if less heat is desired)

In a dry skillet over very low heat, place the coriander, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, poppy seeds and fennel seeds. Roast the seeds gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to pop. When about half the seeds have popped, add the cinnamon, peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, ginger and cayenne. Continue to heat and stir gently until the mixture is quite hot but not burnt. Pour into a dry blender or food processor, or use a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. Pour into a clean, dry jar, seal, and let it cool before using.

For the class, Lauretta doubled the proportions and everyone took home a bag of freshly-roasted Madras Curry Powder, ready to use in any of the many classic or modern curry recipes of their choice.

The group ended the evening by plating and dining on the exotic flavors of Indian cuisine, washing it all down with glass after glass of fine wines from vineyards around the world. To cool everyone’s palate, the Candied Ginger Ice Cream was the perfect ending to this classic Indian dinner prepared and presented with an eye toward sharing our new skills with friends and families soon.

Thanks very much to Chef Lauretta for sharing her expertise with us and to Betty Dabney for capturing the action in photographs.

I recently returned from India with a fresh supply of many spices to use in my own custom blend of curry powder. If you’d like to buy any hard-to-locate spices, please let me know.

I like my curry hot!
Cora

Authentic Foccacia and Antipasto with Pickled Onions

The word “authentic” means “authoritative, reliable, genuine, of undisputed origin” according to Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary, and this is exactly what Host Chef and Artisan Baker, Mort Rabkin offered his baking class recently in Boquete.

The Foccacia recipe took some work to make it exactly right for the weather conditions in Boquete, and Mort got it just right! It was fun to be invited to his home to “practice” his different Foccacia recipes. Each time the bread was baked, Mort used slightly different ingredients, he varied his timing, and he used an assortment of toppings. Finally, it was best Foccacia any of us have ever tasted!

When the Foccacia was perfected, we could plan the remainder of the class. Because there was time during the class to make two other authentic Italian dishes while the Foccacia was rising and baking, I decided the best accompaniments to a hot Foccacia were a fresh Antipasto, and for dessert, Zabaglione. Mort’s wife Barbara, topped the Zabaglione with her twice-baked Biscotti cookies, a real treat.

One of the toppings for the Antipasto would be Pickled Onion Rings, which was a new dish for everyone. The onions are easy to prepare and they cook in only 30 seconds. They’re perfect to serve with Antipasto to give it an interesting, unexpected tangy flavor. This Antipasto was served with black olives, a variety of cold meats and cheeses, freshly roasted red peppers and Green Olive Tapenade. You can see the Pickled Onions in the top dish, ready to be enjoyed along with this very colorful Antipasto.

Pickled Onion Rings

3/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
1 small, hot, jalapeno or chombo chile pepper, finely diced
1 large onion, peeled, and thinly sliced
In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, seasonings and chile until boiling. Add the onion slices and simmer gently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Photographer, Betty Dabney couldn’t resist gathering everyone together for a “photo-op”. The Antipasto with toppings was beautifully arranged on a big platter, and the eight Foccacias were cut into sample-size pieces so everyone could try each of the breads. After lunch, the Zabaglione was ready to taste, the “icing on the cake” for everyone, made extra special with Barbara’s Biscotti. I’ll post the recipe for this luscious “authentic” Italian dessert soon.

Thanks to Betty for photos that captured Mort’s fun, educational and “tasty” class.

Don’t forget the Chianti!
Cora

Panamanian Bunuelos de Yucca

On page 61 of the Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook, Chef Juan Linares shared his favorite recipe for Panamanian Bunuelos, made from yucca.  My first question was “What is yucca?” Then, “What is a bunuelo?”

Wikipedia gives the distribution range of Yucca, over 49 species, as covering vast areas of Central America, and it’s very plentiful in Panama.  Just from my experience in Boquete, the growing conditions are perfect here for yucca, subtropical, woodland, and mountainous.  Almost every market carries yucca and it only 29 cents per pound.

This vegetable isn’t very pretty, but when it’s peeled, boiled and shaped into a bunuelo, it’s quite lovely. Bunuelos are similar to beignets, the donuts for which New Orleans is so famous.
At our recent “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook Party #2″, celebrating the 2nd printing of the cookbook, Chef Juan was one of 12 chefs who prepared and served their recipes to party-goers.

This is the recipe Chef Juan used to make the best yucca bunuelos you can imagine, and he served them with syrup made from block sugar, available in most Latin American markets.

Panamanian Bunuelos de Yucca

3 pounds yucca, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon anise seeds, crushed
3 cups dark brown sugar or blocks of panela cane sugar
1 cup water
7 whole cloves
Vegetable oil for frying

Cover the yucca with water and boil for 20 minutes, so it’s tender enough to grate but not too tender. Grate the yucca and add the egg, salt and crushed anise seeds. Knead and let rest. Meanwhile, make a syrup with the water, sugar and cloves and boil until it turns syrupy. Wet your hands and roll yucca dough into 1-inch balls. Fry them until golden brown, about 2 minutes, and drain on folded paper towels. Serve with warm syrup. Makes about 30 bunuelos.

If you’re looking for a fun activity to share with your dinner guests, get some yucca, prepare the dough ready for frying, and place it in the refrigerator. Make the syrup, but keep it at room temperature.

When dessert time is near, heat up the oil, ask guests if they’d like to help roll the balls, and fry away! Everyone will love them! You could also serve bunuelos dusted with powdered sugar or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, my favorite topping.

Thanks Juan for sharing your recipe, and thanks Betty Dabney, for photographing Juan in action. After thinking about it, why not “eat dessert first”?
Cora